Contender Series 2026 Episode 3 Breakdown and Predictions

Shawn Bitter- Why subject us to this fight? Two guys that have already fought on the CS before and had awful performances. Piazzon did beat Alexander Soldatkin but put on a stinker until he was kneed in the head while grounded and got the DQ win. He went 4-1 after that, beating a 36-year-old twice, a 41-year-old, and a guy who was 0-0. Just last year he was knocked out badly by a guy who’s 16-40. He’s a bloated heavyweight at 5’11” with no ounce of excitement in him. He fights like he’s in quicksand, and when he does do something, he’s just holding onto you like he’s got separation anxiety. Uriel is not that much better. He fought Josh Hokit last season and did pretty well in round one. However, he death gassed in round two and just crumbled.

This fight is nothing short of pathetic. Two guys that have no technique, two guys that are super out of shape, and two that would add nothing to the UFC. They are giving two guys that basically quit last time another chance. At least with Uriel, he will come forward and throw. I can see him just sparking Piazzon and getting a contract only because Piazzon is so bad. I do think that happens in round 1, but I hope it’s the ugliest fight ever because making this fight is a slap in the face to the fans.

Pick: Uriel by KO in round one.

Cedric Dumas– Nothing is better than selective memory.

When Mario Piazzon first appeared on Contender Series several years ago, he delivered one of the worst performances in the show’s history, somehow winning by disqualification after his opponent landed an illegal knee. Dana White made it pretty clear afterward that he wanted nothing to do with Piazzon. Yet, here we are in Season 10, and somehow he’s back.

I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Piazzon is simply not very good. He was being thoroughly outclassed before the DQ, and he recently got starched in the first round by a 15-39 journeyman. Most of his résumé has been built on crushing cans in Demo Fight and other low-level regional promotions that the bigger Brazilian organizations have largely ignored.

Across from him is Guilherme Uriel, best known for being on the wrong end of Josh Hokit’s mainstream debut. To Uriel’s credit, he had some good moments in the opening round of that fight, enough that plenty of people actually came away less impressed with Hokit than they expected.

The UFC clearly liked what they saw from Uriel, because this is about as soft a landing as they could give him. He’s a complete fighter with a strong ground game that he probably doesn’t use enough, along with legitimate power on the feet. His chin remains a question mark, but I still expect him to have his way here.

Pick: Uriel by R1 KO/TKO

Nicholas Holt- I’m not sure what the significance of this matchup is. Both guys have already been on DWCS and had pretty terrible performances. In this case, though, I’ll give Guilherme Uriel the benefit of the doubt because he lost to Josh Hokit, but Mario Piazzon is such a ridiculous callback to the show. He won his last appearance because of an illegal knee by Alexander Soldatkin, but virtually had zero chance of earning a contract before that moment. Since then, he’s rattled off a few wins, but his hype train eventually came to a screeching halt after being knocked out by a fighter with a 15-39 record.

Personally, I think that’s enough to never be looked at again by the UFC. I mean, how are you going to make it with the best of the best if you can’t handle a guy who’s 15-39? Sure, records don’t always tell the whole story, but Piazzon’s tape is also unimpressive. He fights guys who are genuinely built like a bag of milk, with some of them even being winless or having zero prior experience in the cage. His striking is sloppy, he lacks defensively, and honestly, it didn’t seem like he was taking the fight all that seriously in his most recent bout against André Vieira.

On the other hand, I shouldn’t trash Piazzon too much because Guilherme Uriel isn’t exactly a jaw-dropper either. He’s actually even more frustrating than Piazzon because he has the basic tools that would normally serve a regional heavyweight well. He carries serious power, possessing a bit of a death touch in his hands. When he lands, his opponent definitely feels it. Uriel has also shown some competence on the mats. His jiu-jitsu isn’t bad by any means, and I found his best quality to be his follow-up shots on the ground after hurting opponents with his hands. If he could put those two weapons together and hunt for submissions more often, I think he’d surprise himself at how terrible heavyweight jiu-jitsu really is.

I found myself more impressed with Uriel than I initially expected, but my assessment of him is surrounded by “if” statements. I’m not struck with the same level of confidence I had watching Anthony Wint in Week 1, and I believe that’s the goal of DWCS. I don’t love being in the business of bringing fighters along slowly, and in this case, I think Guilherme Uriel would require some nurturing. At the end of the day, though, all that matters is performing on Tuesday night in dominant fashion, and Uriel is definitely capable of doing that against Mario Piazzon.

Pick: Uriel by Round 1 KO/TKO

Chase Gurotsky- Two Heavyweight DWCS vets face off in what I hope is a great fight or KO. Mario Piazzon, now at 10-1, did win his DWCS fight; however, he won because his opponent, Alexander Soladtkin, kneed Mario on the ground in a fight Alexander was winning. Mario could not continue, so it was a DQ win for Piazzon, who, of course, did not get a contract. Since then, he has gone 4-1, with one being marked ineligible by Tapology. In this streak, he picked up his first loss in March of last year to a 33-year-old who was 15-39 at the time via KO in the first round. He has racked up two wins; however, one was a decision, which makes me a bit curious why the UFC thought he deserved a second shot.

His opponent, Guilherme Uriel, now at 7-2, lost his DWCS fight to Josh Hokit, which is aging extremely well. Since then, he has had 3 bouts scheduled; however, two fell out, and in the one that did happen, he got a first-round KO win against a 2-2 opponent. At just 29, he is still young for Heavyweight and is quite the finisher. He has 4 wins via KO/TKO, and that is his best weapon, as he truly is a heavy hitter. He also has 3 submission wins, which shows his well-roundedness too. I think Piazzon, as all heavyweights do, has a puncher’s chance; however, I don’t think he is UFC level.

Pick: Uriel Via 1st Round KO/TKO 

Xavi Ryder– Now, this fight is really disappointing to see on Contender Series. Both guys have been on the show before, with Piazzon winning via DQ and Uriel getting finished by Josh Hokit in round two. Piazzon is truly bad and has been can-crushing for his entire career. He was recently knocked out by a guy who held a 15-39 record at the time of the fight. Uriel is at least a dangerous puncher in round one, but is getting this opportunity off the back of beating a 2-2 opponent. This is probably the worst matchup of the season, and Uriel should be able to land a knockout punch in round one.

Pick: Uriel via Round 1 KO/TKO

Drew Beaupre– There’s some clear mismatches on this card, but this particular matchup is both frustrating and unnecessary for the simple fact that neither guy has really done anything to warrant a second opportunity on DWCS.

Uriel’s loss to Josh Hokit last year has at least aged fairly well with how Hokit has performed in the UFC, but Piazzon’s DWCS fight in 2023 famously saw him get his hand raised because Alexander Soldatkin landed an illegal knee early in the third round.

Piazzon comes into his second DWCS following a pair of wins over lackluster competition, but prior to that he was knocked out by a fighter with an absolutely abysmal record that had been finished in the first round of his previous four fights. Uriel at least made short work of an overmatched opponent in his only appearance since losing to Hokit, and I expect that he’ll find another finish here. (Pick: Uriel)

Cangrejo Ruiz- Heavyweight Slop fight. Uriel is durable and has some technical knowledge but tends to have the usual heavyweight deficiencies like cardio and sloppiness. Piazzon is strong, but that’s about it; there aren’t any other strengths. Uriel should win by default, but I don’t expect it to be pretty.

Prediction is Uriel by R1 Submission.

Benjamin Keith- Mario Piazzon has the distinction of having the worst performance in a win in DWCS history. He stunk up the place for a few rounds in 2023 before winning by getting kneed in the head when he was on the ground. Riveting. Of course he was invited back a few years later as the lazy matchmakers rely on Dana White’s goldfish-like memory to slip these fighters back in. The 5’11 Piazzon is not a heavyweight, but nobody has told him that yet; his loss came to a gut with a 16-40 record, and the fact that he has gotten another chance here is a war crime.

His opponent, Guilherme Uriel, is less of an embarrassment to the sport of MMA. He’s also a DWCS vet, having lost to Josh Hokit last year. He has good power and is actually more of a natural heavyweight. The compliments stop there, though. While he wouldn’t be out of place at the bottom of the UFC heavyweight division, he doesn’t deserve this opportunity. He is 7-2 with no good wins on his resume. If this goes longer than seven minutes, he will gas, and it will get very ugly. His nickname should be “Punchers’ Chance” instead of “Urso”. He is not worth our time, but will still get a highlight KO here against the tragically bad Piazzon.

Prediction: Uriel by Round 2 KO.